Griz to face Vikings on Sunday

The Montana women's tennis team will try to win its second Big Sky Conference match of the season this weekend when it heads west to face Portland State.

The Grizzlies (2-14, 1-4 BSC) and Vikings (0-10, 0-7 BSC) will meet on Sunday at 10 a.m. (MT) at Club Green Meadows, across the Columbia River from Portland in Vancouver, Wash.

Neither team is in a strong position to make next month's six-team Big Sky tournament, which will be held from April 28-30 in Phoenix, Ariz., but the Grizzlies still have six league matches remaining to move up the standings.

Facing a winless Portland State team on Sunday would be a must-win starting point.

Both teams have had some near misses in league. Montana lost 4-3 at Sacramento State on March 4 and 4-3 again on Sunday at Northern Colorado.

Portland State has dropped three 4-3 decisions in league as the Vikings have sought their first win of the season.

Portland State lost 4-3 at home to Big Sky co-leader Montana State, on the road at Weber State and two weeks ago at home to Eastern Washington.

The Vikings lost 5-2 to Portland last Friday in their most recent match, their second match of the season against the Pilots and one of only three nonconference matches so far on the schedule.

Montana most recently went 0-2 on a trip to Wyoming and Northern Colorado. The Grizzlies lost 7-0 to the Cowgirls last Friday in Laramie and dropped a one-point decision on Sunday in Greeley.

The rest of Montana's regular-season schedule is Big Sky matches. After playing at Portland State on Sunday, the Grizzlies will have a weekend off before hosting Weber State at the Peak Racquet Club on Saturday, April 8.

Montana will follow with a split weekend, playing at Montana State on Friday, April 14, before returning home to face Big Sky co-leader Northern Arizona on Sunday, April 16.

The Grizzlies will close the season with road matches at Idaho, the Big Sky's third current co-leader, and Eastern Washington.

In Montana's most recent match, at Northern Colorado on Sunday, Nathalie Joanlanne and Cam Kincaid won at No. 3 doubles to improve to 2-2 together in Big Sky matches, but the Bears won at No. 1 and 2 to win the doubles point.

Lidia Dukic, at No. 2, Catherine Orfanos, at No. 3, and Joanlanne, at No. 4, all won their singles matches, but the Bears won the other three to hold on for a 4-3 win.

Dukic has won her last two Big Sky singles matches, as has Orfanos. Joanlanne has won her last four league matches and has the team's best Big Sky singles record of 4-1. She is 4-2 in her last six singles matches, 6-4 in her last 10.

Dukic and Orfanos are 3-2 in league matches.

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Players Mentioned

Lidia Dukic

Nathalie Joanlanne

Cam Kincaid

Catherine Orfanos

University of Montana Athletics